Stephen Kontostephanos

Stephen Kontostephanos (Greek: Στέφανος Κοντοστέφανος, ca. 1107–1149) was a Byzantine aristocrat and military commander.

Stephen was born in ca. 1107, the son of the pansebastos sebastos Isaac Kontostephanos, who served for most of the reign of Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118), culminating in his unsuccessful service as admiral (thalassokrator) against the Normans in 1107/8. He was the third member of the family to bear the name "Stephen" after the family's progenitor and a rather obscure paternal uncle. In ca. 1126, he married Anna, the second-born daughter of Emperor John II Komnenos (r. 1118–43) and Irene of Hungary, and received the title panhypersebastos. The couple had four children: the sons John, Alexios, and Andronikos, as well as a daughter, Irene, who married Nikephoros Bryennios.

Stephen's career under John II is unknown, but he enjoyed the favour of John's youngest son and eventual successor, Manuel I Komnenos (r. 1143–80) and is likely to have been among those who supported Manuel's accession over the rights of his elder brother Isaac Komnenos. Thus when Manuel I decided to depose the Patriarch of Constantinople Cosmas II Atticus due to the latter's sympathies with Isaac, Stephen was among the imperial relatives who participated in the synod that tried and deposed Cosmas in February 1147, with the pretext of his support for the Bogomil monk Nephon. When Cosmas, enraged at his dismissal, cursed the empress never to bear a male child, Stephen, a nervous and impetuous man, according to Niketas Choniates, tried to attack the patriarch, but at the last moment reined himself in. This made a bad impression among all the attendants, but Cosmas reportedly prophesied that he would soon receive his due blow as punishment.

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